Category Archives: trade

I’m currently in Bishkek, reconnecting with some of my bazaar contacts at Dordoi and planning a short trip to Osh and Jalalabad (and possibly Naryn and Batken) in the coming weeks. One of my informants has an uncle who wanted … Continue reading →

Well, it isn’t a holiday for me. Today is International Women’s Day (Дорогие женщины, с праздником!), and I observed it by heading to the bazaar after congratulating the landlady at the guesthouse as well as the cooks and waitresses at … Continue reading →

Tomorrow I head south to the city of Osh for a few weeks to do work in the Kara Suu bazaar, which supplies Uzbekistan with most of its Chinese-produced goods. I will also be spending my time revisiting the ethnically … Continue reading →

Being on the other side of the Karakum desert, when it comes to trade Turkmenistan tends to be grouped more with Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan while the other Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) form another group. While … Continue reading →

My good friend and fellow economic anthropologist JR just brought my attention to this article in the Wall Street Journal that outlines the increasing importance of mega-airports their adjacent urban hubs in globalized business. The article uses the term aerotropolis … Continue reading →

Working with my Chinese tutor here in Bishkek has given me some new perspectives on the way that trade functions on the other side of the border. Although my tutor is working primarily as a language instructor, he is also … Continue reading →

Just before leaving for India in December, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a conference in Bishkek on efforts to standardize customs procedures across Central Asia. The project, called the Tulpar System, is a program spearheaded by … Continue reading →

Although I was devoted to the task of election monitoring while in Cote d’Ivoire, I still payed close attention to aspects of Ivorian life that could inform or shed light onto my research half a world away. With this in … Continue reading →

Please excuse the hiatus. After wrapping up with round one of the Ivorian elections, getting sick while stopping in Turkey, and catching up with a host of responsibilities upon returning to Bishkek, the poor blog has suffered neglect. Do not … Continue reading →

For the purposes of my research, I have chosen to concentrate on the exchange of household goods and clothing on the transnational routes of Central Asia instead of the (at first blush) more sexy markets of arms and narcotics. Although … Continue reading →